Dispensing carton suitable for plastic bags and the like



March 21, 1967 DISPENSING CARTON SUITABLE FOR PLASTIC BAGS AND THE LIKEOriginal Filed 001; 4. 1965 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. fierzzzi' fl 2524 W A i ag March 21, 3967 BUTTERY 3,309,834

DISPENSING CARTON SUITABLE FOR PLASTIC mes AND THE LIKE Original FiledOct. 4, 1965 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. #femmfi J 521 z z erj/ March 23,3967 K. T. BUTT ERY 3,309,834

DISPENSING CARTON SUITABLE FOR PLASTIC BAGS AND THE LIKE Original FiledOct. 4, 1965 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 I NVENTOR.

March 21, 1967 K. T. BUTTERY 3,309,834

DISPENSING CARTON SUITABLE FOR PLASTIC BAGS AND THE LIKE Original FiledOct. 4, 1965 '5 Sheets-Sheet 4 I NV E NTOR.

March 21, 1967 i K. T. BUTTER! 3,399,834

DISPENSING CARTON SUITABLE FOR PLASTIC BAGS AND THE LIKE Original FiledOct. 4, '1963 '5 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR United States Patent Ofilice3,309,834 Patented Mar. 21, 1967 3,399,834 1 DISPENSING CARTON SUITABLEFOR PLASTIC BAGS AND THE LIKE Kenneth T. Buttery, Kalamazoo, Mich,assignor, by mesne assignments, to Brown Company, a corporation ofDelaware Original application Oct. 4, 1963, Ser. No. 314,025, now PatentNo. 3,195,772, dated July 24), 1965. Divided and this application Mar.12, 1965, Ser. No. 439,292 5 Claims. (Cl. 53-21) This application is adivision of my co-pending application Ser. No. 314,025 now Patent No.3,195,772 issued July 20, 1965.

The present invention relates to dispensing cartons, and is moreparticularly concerned with cartons for dispensing discrete sheets oritems of thin sheet material, especially of plastic, such as plasticsheets, lunch bags, sandwich bags, and the like.

Plastic film or sheet material such as polyethylene film is currentlyenjoying wide popularity for many applications. The popularity of thesesheets or films is well deserved since the material even in thin filmform is strong, highly transparent, and relatively inexpensive.Moreover, the material is sanitary and lends itself well to use in foodpackaging. Consequently, one of the most important uses of plastic filmis in the production of food wrappers such as sandwich bags, lunch bags,and the like. However, because of the extreme thinness of the material,and frequently also its relatively slippery nature, discrete sheets,either alone or in the form of bags, are somewhat diflicult to packageand even more diflicult to dispense from economical containers.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a dispensing cartonwhich is particularly well adapted for packaging and dispensing discretesheets of plastic material such as plastic bags. It is a further objectto provide such a carton which may be readily filled by means ofautomatic machinery. It is a further object to provide such a cartonhaving means provided for being readily opened. It is still a furtherobject to provide a dispensing carton which retains plastic film sheetsor bags in ready position for dispensing, and wherein individual bagsmay be readily withdrawn from the carton. It is an additional object toprovide a carton of the type described which may be readily andeconomically constructed from an integral cut and scored blank. Theaccomplishment of the foregoing and additional objects will become morefully apparent hereinafter.

The invention in several preferred embodiments is illustrated by theaccompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a blank cut and scored to provide a dispensingcarton according to one embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the carton partially erected and readyto be end filled or loaded.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the carton after it has been loaded andsealed.

FIG. 4 is a plan view of a blank cut and scored to provide a dispensingcarton according to another embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the carton of FIG. 4 in partiallyerected form, ready to be side filled or loaded.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a pile of plastic bags with acardboard diaphgram or insert member placed thereover, in preparation toloading.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken at the line 77 of FIG. 3 showingthe arrangement of aloaded carton in which the contents are ready to bedispensed.

FIG. 8 is a plan View of a blank cut and scored to provide a dispensingcarton according to another embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a completely formed,

filled, and sealed carton prepared from the blank of FIG. 8.

FIG. 10 is a plan view of an insert member or diaphragm.

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing one end of the formed, filled,and sealed carton of FIG. 9, as viewed from the inside of the carton.

FIG. 12 is a plan view of a blank cut and scored to provide a dispensingcarton according to still another embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 13 is a perspective View of a completely formed, filled and sealedcarton prepared from the blank of FIG. 12.

FIG. 14 is a plan view of an insert member; and

FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view taken at the line 15-15 of FIG. 13.

According to the invention, a carton is provided which may be loadedafter it has been partly erected. Sheetform members such as plasticsheets or bags which are to be dispensed from the carton are foldedaround the edge of an insert member of cardboard or any other suitablesheet material which exhibits some resilience. The dimensions of theinsert members are so designed that the member must be bowed intoarcuate form in order to fit into the carton. In preparation forloading, the desired content of sheet material, such as a number ofplastic bags, is folded around one edge of the insert member. Theassembly is bowed and inserted into the carton in such a manner that theedge of the insert member around which the plastic material is folded ispresented at the corner of the carton at which a tear strip or otherslot forming means is provided. The resilience of the bowed diaphragmmaintains the folded edge in position at the slot where the fold of aplastic sheet, e.g., bag, may be easily grasped for removal of thecontents from the carton. Individual sheets, e.g., bags, may thus bereadily extracted without disturbing the remainder.

Reference is nowmade to the accompanying drawings for a betterunderstanding of the invention, wherein all of the parts are numberedand wherein the same numbers are used to refer to corresponding partsthroughout.

One embodiment of the present invention, referred to as an end-fillcarton, is illustrated in FIGS. l-3. The carton is formed from anintegral blank as shown in FIG. 1, and comprises a bottom 1, a frontwall 2, a top 3, and a rear wall 4. The front wall 2 is provided withspaced apart substantially parallel fracture scores 5 defining a tearstrip 6 having a grip tab 7. The fracture score at the junction of thetop 3 and front wall 2 is discontinuous at the center and the two partsthereof are connected by a semicircular score line forming a recess tab8. The carton is provided with bottom end flaps 9, outer end wall flaps10 hingedly connected to the front wall 2, top end flaps 11, and rearwall end flaps 12. As alternative arrangements, any of the flaps 9, 11or 12 maybe enlarged to serve as outer end flaps in place of the outerend flap 10. A glue flap 13 is hingedly connected to one edge of therear wall 4.

A flap recess 14 is provided in the top end flap 11, adjacent to the tab7 so that the tab will be cleared when the carton is erected.

In erecting the carton, the glue flap 13 is first glued to the bottomedge of the bottom 1 to form a tubular structure. This step is generallycarried out by the manufacturer, and the carton is then shipped in fiatcondition to the customer for erection and filling. In preparing thecarton for filling, one end is erected by folding in the flaps 9, 11 and12, and then gluing the outer end flap 10 thereover, resulting in thestructure shown in FIG. 2. The carton is then filled through the openend with the desired contents, and the open end closed in the samemanner. The result is a strong sealed carton, as shown in FIG. 3. Thecarton is prepared for dispensing its contents by gripping the tab 7 andremoving the tear strip 6 together with the recess tab 8. As a result,an open slot is formed with a connecting finger port at the edge of thetop, formed by the removal of the tab 8, permitting a finger to beinserted to grasp the fold of a plastic sheet or bag within the carton.

FIGS. 4 and 5 illustrate an alternative embodiment of the presentinvention which may be termed a sideload carton. This carton may also beformed from an integral cut and scored blank, as shown in FIG. 4, andcomprises a top 15, a front Wall 16, a bottom 17, and a rear wall 18.The front wall 16 is provided with fractu-re scores 19 forming a tearstrip 20 having a grip tab 21. A recess tab 22 is provided in the top 15by slitting and scoring. An outer end wall 23 is hingedly connected tothe front wall 16 and another outer end wall 24 is hingedly connected atthe other end of the front wall 16 and to one end of the rear wall 18.The outer end wall 23 is provided with glue flaps 25, the outer end wall24 is provided with a pair of glue flaps 26, and the rear wall 18 isprovided with glue flaps 27 and 28.

In assembling the side-loading carton, the glue flap 28 is secured tothe outer end fiap 23. The glue flaps 25, 26 and 27 are then folded inand the bottom 17 folded thereover and secured thereto to form thestructure shown in FIG. 5. The carton may then be loaded through theopen top side. The glue flaps 25a, 26a, and 27:: are then folded overand the top closed and secured thereto. The carton may be prepared fordispensing by removing the tear strip as described above with respect tothe first embodiment.

The present invention resides primarily in a novel structure and methodfor loading the cartons described with sheets or bags made of a thinplastic film and maintaining them in such manner that they may bedispensed readily upon opening of the carton. The steps involved in themethod of loading and the novel structure are illustrated in FIGS. 6 and7. In FIG. 6 is shown a pile of plastic film bags 29. Placed thereoverand occupying substantially one-half of the area of the bags is acardboard insert member 30. In preparing the assembly for loading, theexposed portion of the paper bags is folded over an edge 31 of theinsert member in the direction shown by the arrow, and positioned sothat the two ends of the plastic bag pile and one end of the insertmember are substantially aligned. The insert member and the bags arethen bowed until the assembly attains an arcuate cross-section and isthen so arranged with respect to the carton that the edge 31 of theinsert member about which the plastic bags are folded is presented atthe corner of the carton adjacent to the tear strip. This arrangement isshown in detail in FIG. 7. When the tear strip and recess tab areremoved, an exit slot is formed having a connecting finger port locatedat the center thereof. The fold is thus exposed and the outermost bagmay be readily grasped and extracted with the fingers. Manual engagementof the folds of the bags is further facilitated by the fact that at theconcave side of the arcuate assembly the plastic bags or sheet materialare loosened slightly as a result of the arcuate bowing of the pile.Each bag slides freely and all the bags may be successively Withdrawn.

The length of the insert member should preferably be substantially thesame as the width of the bags which it is to support, althoughconsiderable variation is permissible. The width of the insert membershould be about one-half /2) the length of the plastic bags andsubstantially greater than the width of one side of the carton. For manyapplications, and particularly when cartons having a rectangularcross-section are used, the insert members may advantageously have awidth greater than the width of two sides of the carton, as shown inFIG. 7, so that the insert member is retained in arcuate form by thecarton walls. When the width of the insert member is of the proper size,the arcuate configuration which the insert member is forced to assume inorder to allow entry into the carton causes the fold of supportedmaterial at the edge thereof to be properly presented at the exit slotformed upon removal of the tear strip of the carton, and to providesufficient resilience to maintain the fold in proper orientation untilall of the bags have been dispensed from the carton.

As can be readily seen, the insert member may be inserted in arcuateposition with its leading edge disposed at the tear strip in one of twopositions. In the first position the end portion of the insert memberapproaches a position parallel to the panel containing the tear stripand perpendicular to the panel containing the finger port means. Thisarrangement is shown in FIG. 7 and is the preferred arrangement. In thealternative arrangement, the end portion of the insert member approachesa position perpendicular to the panel containing the tear strip andparallel to the panel containing the finger port means.

FIGS. 8-11 illustrate still another embodiment of the invention. In thisembodiment the carton, the cut and scored blank for which is illustratedin FIG. 8, comprises a top panel member 32, a front panel member 33hingedly connected thereto, a bottom panel member 34 hingedly connectedto the front panel member, and a rear panel member 35 hingedly connectedto an edge of the bottom panel member 34. Outer end panel members arehingedly connected to the ends of the bottom panel member 34. Glue flaps37 are hingedly connected to the ends of the outer end panel members. Aglue flap 38 is also hingedly connected to the edge of the rear panelmember 35. Complementary inne end members 39 and 40 are hingedlyconnected at the ends of the front panel member 33 and rear panel member35 respectively. Portions of the inner end members 39 and 40 are cutaway to form detent slots 41 and 42.

A pair of spaced apart substantially parallel fracture scores 43 and 44are provided at the edge of the front panel member adjacent to the toppanel member. The upper fracture score 43 makes a curved excursion 45into the top panel member 32 near the center of the panel. A hinge score46 short-circuits the excursion to permit the top panel member 32 tohinge with the front panel member 33. The lower fracture score 44 makesa curved excursion 47 into the front panel member. The two fracturescores 43 and 44 cooperate to form a tear strip 48 having a tab 49 atone end.

The carton is opened by engaging the tab 49 and detaching the tear strip48 and connected tabs formed by the excursions 45 and 47. As a result,an exit slot is formed defined by the fracture scores 43 and 44.Additionally, the finger ports are formed as defined by the excursions45 and 47. The upper fracture score 43 declines at its end. As a result,when the tear strip is removed, detents 50 remain.

In preparation for filing, the carton is partially assembled by gluingthe inner end flaps 39 and 40 to the outer end flaps 36. The carton isthen filled at the top, and the cover 32 glued down over the glue flaps37 and 38 to form a sealed carton.

As shown in FIG. 9, a novel insert member is utilized for supporting theplastic film sheet members, and is comprised of a body member 51, aplurality of parallel end tabs 52 and 53, and a pair of spacers 54 and55 which are positioned a suflicient distance apart to receive the sheetmembers to be packaged therebetween.

The carton is loaded in much the same manner as illustrated for theembodiments previously described. The insert member is placed over oneend of a pile of plastic film sheet material, e.-g., bags, the edge 56connecting the two spacers 54 and 55 being oriented substantially at themid-line of the sheet material. The remaining portion of the sheetmaterial is then folded over the edge 56 between the spacers 54 and 55and into engagement with the top surface of the insert member 51.

The insert member and sheet material supported thereon are then boweddownward and inserted into the carton. The length of the insert member,exclusive of the tabs 52 and 53, is so designed that it traverses theentire length of the interior of the carton. As a result, when thediaphragm is inserted into the box, the ends of the carton force thetabs 52 and 53 to be bent back substantially perpendicular to the bodyportion 51. However, when the insert member has been completelyinserted, the tabs 52 and 53 enter and expand into the detent slots 41and 42, securing the insert member in place. The spacers 54 and 55engage the detents 50. The top panel member is then glued in place overthe glue flaps 37 and 38.

The carton is prepared for dispensing by engaging the tab 49 andremoving the tear strip 48. This provide-s an exit slot having a pair offinger ports at the center. After the tear strip has been removed, thedetents 50 continue to engage the spacers 54 and 55 and maintain theedge 56 of the insert member in place. The spacers 54 and 55 alsoprovide sufficient space so that the plastic film sheet material may beremoved by engaging a fold thereof and withdrawing an individual sheetmaterial through the exit slot. Individual sheets may be successivelywithdrawn until the entire contents of the carton have been exhausted.The resiliency of the insert member maintains the folded edge of thesheet material in proper presentation in front of the exit slot untilall of the sheet material has been removed.

FIGS. 12-l5 illustrate a carton according to to the invention having atriangular cross-section. A blank suitably cut and scored is illustratedin FIG. 12 and comprises a front panel member 57, a rear panel member58, and a bottom panel member 59. A, glue flap 60 is hingedly connectedto one edge of the bottom panel member 59, and is adapted to be aflixedto the free edge of the rear panel member 58. Outer end wall members 61are hingedly connected to the ends of the bottom panel member 59 andglue flaps 62 are hingedly connected to edges of the outer end wallmembers 61. Glue flaps 63 are hingedly connected to the ends of thefront panel member 57.

A pair of spaced-apart substantially parallel fracture scores 64 and 65are provided in the front panel member at the upper edge thereof to forma tear strip 66. The fracture score 64 makes a curved excursion 67 intothe rear panel member 58, and the fracture score 65 makes a curvedexcursion 68 toward the center of the front panel member 57 to provideenlarged finger ports 67a and 68a when the tear strip 66 is removed. Ascore line 67b by-passes the excursion 67 and permits the rear panelmember 58 to hinge at the edge of the front panel member 57. The glueflaps are provided with an adhesive in the usual manner, as shown by theshaded areas.

The insert member 69 illustrated in FIG. 14 is comprised of a bodyportion 69a and a pair of spacers 70, one at each end of a leading edge71.

The carton is assembled and loaded by first gluing the glue flaps 63 tothe outer end members 61. The insert member and plastic bags 75 are theninserted in arcuate form, as by a plunger, so that the leading edge 71presents the folds of the bags at the tear strip 66, and the spacers areengaged by the detents 72. The glue flaps 62 are then folded in, theglue flap 60 folded thereover, and the rear panel member 58 folded overand affixed to all three glue flaps.

The tear strip 66 may be removed by gripping the tab 74 and removing theentire tear strip together With the area defined by the excursions 67and 68. An exit slot is thus provided having an enlarged finger port atits center. The individual folds of the plastic bags may be convenientlygrasped and the bags extracted.

The present invention solves the problem involved in loading andpackaging thin sheet-form material, including plastic sheets, plasticfilm bags, and the like, caused by their extreme thinness, light weight,limpness, and slippery nature. It enables these materials to be readilyloaded into cartons of convenient size without the need for expensive orcomplicated machinery. The cartons may be readily opened for dispensingthe contentts. Moreover, the sheet-form material is always maintained inthe proper presentation position at the exit slots for ready removal ofindividual sheets or bags.

Although, in the embodiments illustrated in the foregoing descriptionand drawings, the tear strip and finger port means are provided onparticularly described panels, it is obvious that they may alternativelybe provided on other adjacent pairs of panels. It is also obvious thatthe carton may be placed in any one of numerous positions for dispensingthe contents thereof, the terms top, bot' tom, etc., being used hereinmerely for convenience in describing the invention.

It is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the exactdetails of construction, operation, or exact materials or embodimentsshown and described, as obvious modifications and equivalents will beapparent to one skilled in the art, and the invention is therefore to belimited only by the scope of the appended claims, in which the termsheet-form articles is to be understood as including not only sheetsthemselves but also articles, e.g., bags, formed from sheets.

I claim:

1. A method of filling a dispensing carton with a plurality of thinsheet-form articles, said carton having means for providing an exitslot, said method comprising folding said sheet-form articles around theleading edge and adjacent the sides of a sheet-form insert member,bowing said insert member and inserting said insert member and saidsheet-form articles into said carton in arcuate form with the leadingedge of said insert member supporting the folds of said sheet-formarticles in position adjacent said exit slot providing means, andclosing said carton.

2. A method of filling a dispensing carton with a plurality of thinsheet-form articles, said carton having means for providing an exitslot, said method comprising arranging said sheet-form articles in apile, placing a sheet-form insert member over a portion of the area ofsaid pile, folding the remaining portion of said pile around the leadingedge and adjacent the sides of said insert member, bowing said insertmember and inserting said insert member and said sheet-form articlesinto said carton in arcuate form with the leading edge of said insertmember supporting the folds of said sheet-form articles in positionadjacent said exit slot providing means, and closing said carton.

3. A method of filling a dispensing carton with a plu- I rality ofplastic film sheet-form articles, said carton having means for providingan exit slot and having means defining a detent socket at each interiorend thereof, said method comprising folding said sheet-form articlesaround the leading edge and adjacent the sides of a sheet-form insertmember, said insert member having a length substantially equal to thelength of the interior of said carton and having detent tabs providedsubstantially at the middle of each side thereof, bowing the insertmember and sheetform articles and inserting them into said carton inarcuate form while bending over said detent tabs and causing them toenter and be engaged by said detent sockets to retain said insert memberin a position wherein the folds of said sheet-form articles arepositioned adjacent said exit slot providing means, and closing saidcarton.

4. A method of filling a dispensing carton with a plurality of plasticfilm sheet-form articles, said carton having means for providing an exitslot and having means defining a detent socket at each interior endthereof, said method comprising arranging said sheet-form articles in apile, placing a sheet-form insert member over a portion of the area ofsaid pile, said insert member having a length substantially equal to thelength of the interior of said carton and having detent tabs providedsubstantially at the middle of each side thereof, folding the remainingportion of said pile around the leading edge and adjacent the side ofsaid insert member, bowing the insert member and sheet-form articles andinserting them into said carton in arcuate form while bending over saiddetent tabs and causing them to enter and be engaged by said detentsockets to retain said insert member in a position wherein the folds ofsaid sheet-form articles are positioned adjacent said exit slotproviding means, and closing said carton.

5. A method of filling a dispensing carton with a plurality of plasticfilm sheet-form articles, said carton having means for providing an exitslot terminated by a pair of detents and having means defining a detentsocket at each interior end thereof, said method comprising arrangingsaid sheet-form articles in a pile, placing a sheet-form insert memberover a portion of the area of said pile, said insert member having alength substantially equal to the length of the interior of said carton,and having detent tabs provided substantially at the middle of each sidethereof and additionally having a pair of spacers at the ends of theleading edge thereof, folding the remaining portion of said pile aroundthe leading edge of said insert member between said spacers and adjacentthe sides of said insert member, bowing and inserting the insert memberand sheet-form article assembly into said carton in arcuate form whilebending said detent tabs and causing them to enter and be engaged bysaid detent sockets and causing said spacers to be engaged by saiddetents to retain said insert member in a position wherein the folds ofsaid sheet-form articles are positioned adjacent said exit slotproviding means, and closing said carton.

No references cited.

RICHARD H. EANES, JR., Primary Examiner.

1. A METHOD OF FILLING A DISPENSING CARTON WITH A PLURALITY OF THINSHEET-FORM ARTICLES, SAID CARTON HAVING MEANS FOR PROVIDING AN EXITSLOT, SAID METHOD COMPRISING FOLDING SAID SHEET-FORM ARTICLES AROUND THELEADING EDGE AND ADJACENT THE SIDES OF A SHEET-FORM INSERT MEMBER,BOWING SAID INSERT MEMBER AND INSERTING SAID INSERT MEMBER AND SAIDSHEET-FORM ARTICLES INTO SAID CARTON IN ARCUATE FORM WITH THE LEADINGEDGE OF SAID INSERT MEMBER SUPPORTING THE FOLDS OF SAID SHEET-FORMARTICLES IN POSITION ADJACENT SAID EXIT SLOT PROVIDING MEANS, ANDCLOSING SAID CARTON.